It's a Better Day
by helloelizabeth
Summary: CP Coulter's Daltonverse. Logan Wright walks in on Austin playing with Sonic in his room a few months after Hell Night. Instead of getting angry, Logan remembers what Julian would have done, and becomes a better person because of it.


It's Just a Better Day

**Headcannon: **If Julian dies, Logan and Derek will be the ones to look after Sonic for the few months that follow. After Austin Manning transfers, Logan will walk in on him playing with Sonic, and he'll give him the pet on the spot. When Derek finds out what Logan's done, he won't question it. He'll know that Logan's already feeling awful that he isn't even good enough to look after Julian's pet. Sonic will be better off with Austin.

Logan reached the end of the hallway, where his single dorm room was located. He was surprised to see that the door wasn't fully closed, and by the shuffling sounds coming from within, someone was inside.

He'd already caught Derek snooping around in his room a few times. Logan had once returned early from a fencing match. The coach had turned on the radio, realizing his mistake when the announcer said, "...and our last song for the hour, in memory of one of Hollywood's bravest heros, Julian Larson's _A Day in the Rain_!"

The sound was cut after the first few bars, but already Logan couldn't breathe. He threw down his sword, forfeiting the match (though he knew he'd never win anyway), and ran back to Stuart House, ignoring the thunder clouds that were sure to bring a Julian-induced storm.

Inside his dorm, he found Derek at his desk, watching Logan's old home videos on his laptop. Most of them had been filmed with Julian and Derek in grade nine (Logan would never admit it, but he'd been trying to prove to his father that he _really did_ have friends at Dalton Academy).

Logan opened his bedroom door a little more, and was surprised by what he saw inside. It wasn't Derek who was sneaking in his room without permission, it was _Austin._ Austin Manning.

Logan was about to get angry with his shy book-loving stepbrother, when suddenly this scene looked all too familiar.

With his back turned towards the door, the boy could pass for a younger version of Logan, his hair a little too long, just like the way Logan's was when he was fourteen. In fact, this was probably what Logan had looked like the first time he met Sonic, stretched out on the floor, letting the small creature scurry around on his stomach. Of course, Julian would have been around somewhere, showing Logan how to be gentle with Sonic.

If the prefect closed his eyes, he could drift back to the beginning, when Logan was calm, and Julian was alive. The actor's voice rang through his head, saying, "Lo, you can't hold a hedgehog by his quills, that'll hurt him! Here, let me show you." So Julian had grabbed his hands, and cupped them around Sonic, protecting the both of them.

Austin began cooing to the animal, interrupting Logan's daydream. "Aren't you cute?" He began hugging Sonic, nestling his face in his quills.

Austin kept to himself at Dalton, and spent his time reading by alone in the library. He certainly wasn't the kind of student that other kids would want to be friends with. In their opinion, he was boring and didn't know a thing about video games or anything that would interest a fourteen year old. Not to mention, the prefect was clearly out to get him, and if there was anything that scared the freshmen, it was Logan.

"_Austin? Don't bother talking to that kid, he never talks to anyone!."_

"_The closest he has to a friend is the librarian and Logan's pet hedgehog!"_

Of course, it was just so _obvious _what Julian would have done. He'd have pretended not to care, and possibly even joined in on teasing Austin. A few days later, however, the school would announce a newly formed book club at Julian's request. Joining it would never be an option for the actor, he was never here anyway, was he? But Austin would make friends, and Julian would care. Of course, he'd deny it to hell if Logan ever mentioned it, but they'd both know that really, Julian did have a heart.

Logan recalled one of Julian's old movies he'd acted in a few years back. Julian's role was to play a young paperboy in the 1950's, who meets a philosopher while on his route. The film won numerous awards, particularly for Julian's portrayal of the boy. He'd looked so sweet with his newsboy cap...

Logan knew that he'd never forget Julian's favourite line in the film. The paperboy says so innocently to the old man, _"Well, how willing are you to give it up, Sir? Because if you really love someone, you'll let them be happy, right? I mean, of course Sir, that may just kill you inside, but wouldn't it be worth it? Just the look in their eyes..."_

The next day, while on the familiar route, the young boy is struck and killed by a quarry truck. The philosopher watches from his front window, calls upon the Gods to switch places with the boy, sacrificing himself because he knew the boy's life was worth it.

Of course, at age seventeen, Julian had understood exactly what the philosopher had meant, and took it to heart, sacrificing his own life for those he cared most about.

Austin looked up towards the doorway, and made a high pitched sound when he saw the prefect staring at him. Logan was shook quite suddenly out of his thoughts, and continued looking at Austin for a second.

"Oh god, Logan, I'm so sorry! I was just walking by, and Sonic was all alone in his cage..."

Austin scrambled to lift himself off Logan's floor, possibly because he was worried the prefect would try to kick him if he became angry.

Logan knew exactly what he wanted to say as the words tumbled out of his mouth. "Keep him."

The younger boy looked up at Logan, confused. "Sorry, what?"

"Did you not hear me? I said that I want you to keep him."

Austin's eyes widened as Logan continued to stand calmly in the doorway. He hesitated for a second, then said softly, "But he was _Julian's_...", while whispering the fallen actor's name.

Logan smiled sadly, and said, "I know. Now take him, and his cage. I'd like you to keep him in the common room, beside that armchair you always read in, that way he'll never be lonely."

"And Derek won't mind?" Austin was now standing in the middle of Logan's room, gently stroking the pet as it sniffed the air, almost as though it could sense that something had changed between the two boys.

"Derek certainly won't mind," Logan confirmed. Derek wouldn't mind. Besides, he knew that somewhere, Julian was smirking his Cheshire smile at him, and saying, "That's what I would've done..."


End file.
